Dragonmarks: Locks and Wards

It's a busy month. I'm working on a Phoenix article, and Illimat is being released next week! But in the meantime, I wanted to address a few more questions from my Patreon supporters.I always tell my players that thieves' tools in eberron look more like specialized artificer's tools than lockpicks. What are some examples of locks of different qualities that might exist in a society where magic is a science & spells like knock exist to trivialize purely mechanical locks?I'm going to start by addressing the general principle of locks in the setting, and then move on to specific examples of locks and tools. First of all: The existence of a tool -- the knock spell -- that can bypass any mundane lock doesn't mean that people will suddenly give up on using mundane locks. There's an increasing number of tools - both technological and mundane - that can unlock a lock on a car door, and failing that anyone can put a rock through a window; and yet we still lock our cars. We haven't equipped every car with a new impregnable lock and we haven't just given up on locks entirely. Instead, we accept that our lock isn't perfect, but it will keep out any casual intruder -- at least requiring some degree of effort or skill.The same principle applies to Eberron. Go to a typical village and people will be using bars or mundane locks, because they don't expect people to be running around with fancy knock spells, and if they do have them spells, well, there's nothing you can do about it. My barn might get struck by lightning and burn down, but I can't afford a lightning ward, so it goes.But let's assume that you're serious about security. Your lock isn't just a delaying tactic, it's supposed to keep people out. Here's some options.

• Arcane Lock. The standard in security, available from any good Kundarak locksmith. This enhances the difficulty of forcing/picking a lock by mundane means. A knock spell suppresses an arcane lock, but if the arcane lock is combined with a mundane lock they'll still have to bypass that, even if it's at normal difficulty.
• Multiple Mundane Locks. Each casting of a knock spell only opens one lock (according to the 5E SRD). Stick five locks on your door and you'll at least make it costly for a caster.
• Alarm. This doesn't make a lock harder to open, but it warns you when it is opened. It's not affected by knock. See notes below.
• Glyph of Warding. Typically this is a one-shot spell, but Kundarak can certainly make reusable glyphs that recharge after a period of time. A GoW isn't affected by Knock, so it's your ultimate deterrent against the person who thinks their wand of knock is a key to all doors. Bear in mind that most people aren't going to want to set off explosions in their homes, but a GoW can produce any spell effect of 3rd level or below. I'd make the price of a Kundarak recharging glyph vary based on the level of the associated effect, so more people would have a 1st level GoW than a 3rd. Any sort of targeted offensive spell is an option for an aggressive lock, but here's a few other ideas...
  • Guilt Trap. A Charm Person/Suggestion variant that makes the victim feel shame for their actions and causes them to dissuade other would-be thieves, or even to try to defend the house from them if necessary.
  • Unwelcome Mat. A simple Command effect that targets anyone that can hear it, ordering them to leave!
  • Sleeper. A Sleep spell, which would generally be combined with an Alarm to summon guards. Web or Hold Person are other options.
  • Guardians. While Conjure Animals is an option, Spirit Guardians are cleaner and harder to deal with - an excellent option to make life difficult if there are additional locks that need to be bypassed.

The magical options -- alarm, GoW and arcane lock -- all have a wide range of options for how they can be disarmed. A password is the simplest option, allowing anyone who knows the password to use the door. But they can also be keyed to virtually any sort of biometrics -- to individuals, to particular races, to possessing a particular object. Kundarak certainly produces combination arcane/mundane locks where the trigger that deactivates the arcane lock simultaneously unlocks the mundane lock, so you can have a place where even these fancy locks can be opened with just a word or a touch of a hand, instead of requiring an additional key... though if the magic is deactivated by knock, this combo lock would be stuck in the locked position.So looking back to the original question: what do locks look like?

• Simple, mundane locks or bars. Common in any place that simply isn't that concerned about serious security.
• Multiple mundane locks or bars. We're concerned about security, but not enough to pay for magic.
• A simple combination arcane/mundane lock. We've got money and we take things seriously. The arcane lock could be keyed to a phrase or a keycharm.
• Lockless doors sealed purely by arcane locks. Opened when someone who meets the right conditions (could be biometric, could be carrying a key charm) touches the door. Looks cool, but a knock spell will get you right inside... though the door could also have an alarm triggered if anyone opens the door without properly unlocking it.
• A serious door could be more formal. Take a Kundarak Manticore lock. There's a Manticore bust by the door. You need to place your hand on the bust and speak the keyword; it check both biometrics (say, Kundarak dwarf) and the phrase. If you fail to meet either condition it triggers the glyph of warding. Meanwhile, the door has four mundane locks and an arcane lock. Take that, knock spell. If I was having a rogue disarm it, I'd give them a chance at a high DC to disarm the entire system at once -- or they could work on each system and lock separately, but it would take a lot of time and the risk of the alarm or glyph reactivating if they take too long.

The manticore is simply one example of a fancier system. A magic mouth could demand the password. An emplaced illusion could appear, threatening intruders with consequences. But critically, you're looking at combinations of GoW, arcane lock, alarm, and mundane locks.In a large city, you're also going to have an option of a Kundarak alarm system. When the alarm on the door is triggered, you're alerted but it also triggers an alert at a Kundarak enclave, who will dispatch a Deneith squad to respond to the intrusion.Now given all this: I hold to the 3.5 approach under which a trained rogue has the ability to attempt to bypass magical wards and locks. Given that, I agree with the secondary aspect of the original post. In the Thorn of Breland books, Thorn's lockpicking tools include lengths of mithral wire, vials of Mabar-infused water, divinatory powders, and other tools that are specifically tied to detecting and disarming mystical systems as well as tools for picking a mundane lock. My players are on track to break into a lesser Kundarak vault in Korranberg, Sharn. Aside from your standard locks and wards and the Silver Guard, what are some quick hits of other challenges they could conceivably face? Well, as noted above there's going to be various arcane systems that can be easily bypassed if they have the right things -- passwords, keycharms, someone who meets the biometric restrictions ("Kundarak dwarf", probably). There will certainly be alarm spells, and likely a nonlethal glyph of warding (Say, a 9d8 sleep spell tied to an alarm). What else?

• An iron defender is a nice guardian who doesn't require food or regular care, who will react aggressively if anyone enters without someone it recognizes.
• Alternatively, you can have a living creature on guard; Kundarak likes their manticores.
• Consider an illusion that conceals a critical part of the chamber... or the simpler, mundane secret door. Another option would be a particular object or safety deposit box tied to another glyph of warding effect; the staff know you never touch this thing.
• When an inner alarm is triggered, it restores and reactivates the arcane lock on the outer door - potentially trapping troublemakers in the vault, if they've expended their resources.
• Following principles of prestidigitation and arcane mark, I think it would be relatively simple for Cannith and Kundarak to come up with something similar to a paint bomb -- something that would mystically mark people with an indelible marker. Can they find some way to dispel the marker before they're caught? This presents a different challenge depending if the marker is visible to everyone and everyone knows the significant (you're running around covered in purple) or if it's invisible except to Kundarak trackers.That's all I've got for now, but hopefully it gives you some ideas. Post your own thoughts below!